Locomotive-stoker



N M. LOWER. LOCOMOTIVE STOKER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.-I9, I917- Patented May 24, 1921.

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LOCOMOTIVE STOKER. v I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1917. v 1,379,306. Patented May 24,1921.

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LOCOMOTIVE STOKER.

APPLICATVIQN FILED FEB-19, 1917- 1,379,806, Patented May 24, 1921.

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N. M. LOWER.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER. IAPPLICAHON FILED'FEB. 19, 1917.

1,379,306. I Patented May 24, 1921.

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N. M. LOWER.

LOCOMOTIVE STOKER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 1917.

1,379,306. Patented Mai 24, 1921 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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. UNITED "STATES- PATENT oFF cE.

NATHAN m. LOWER, or PITTSBURGH, PRNNsYLvANIA, AssrGnoR 'ro LOOOMOTIVE STQKEB comramz, or scERNRorA Y, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or ,rENNsYL- VANLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

LocoMo'rIvR-sroxER.

Patented May 24, 19.21.

Original application filed September 2, 1915, Serial No. 48,619; Divided and this application filed. February 19, 1917. Serial No. 149,564.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NATHAN M. L oWER,'a citizen of the United States, and resident of 4 Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny,'and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive- Stokers, of which the following is a specification andwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. This application is a division of my ap-v plication Serial No. 48,619, filed September 2,1915.

The invention appertainsto that type of locomotive stokers in which the fuel is transferred from the coal bin of the tender to'the fire-box of the engine by means of screw con-' veyers, the improvement relating especially I to the transferring mechanism.

g The objects of the invention are secure simplicity of construction, op ration and .control, together with reliability of 'action.

a Minor objects are secured as hereinafter pointed out.

7 The invention, consists in a structure such as is hereinafter described and which is capable of various mechanical changes without departing from the spirit of the invention, and as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of the rear end of a locomotive, and the forward end of its tender, taken cent trally through the stokingmechanism F 1g. 2 is a detail vertical transverse section through the cab of the locomotive, and

a portion of the stoking;mechanism,.showing the rear wall of the fire-boi in elevation, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in section from.

the plane of the line 33 of. Fig. 1, some parts being omitted and a portion of the drive and re'versingmechanism being shown in section.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a part of the driving mechanism;

Fig. '5 is adetail transverse vertical section through the tender back of theconveying mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a detail, some parts being broken away, of the ratchet and pawl connection in the driving mechanism; I

Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal section through the upper portion of the casing of the elevating screw;

-Fig. 10 is a detail of the regulating valve.

for controlling the fluid supply to the motor;

Fig. 11 is a detail section on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1; and

. Fig. 12 is a detail of a splitting-blade used. 1n the stoker.

A partof the frame of the locomotive is represented at 15, the floor of its cab at 16, and the rear wall or back head of its fire box at 17. A portion of the tender is shown at 18, the floor of its fuel bin being shown at 19. A trough 20 is mounted on the tender below the floor of its fuel bin, this floor havmg an opening over the trough to which is applied a cover plate 21, which may be'slidable to admit fuel to the trough. i

At the forward endv of the trough and forming a continuation thereof, there is ro-.

tive a cylinder 23. This cylinder is ,connected at its forward end to a hollow cast-3 ing 24 by a universal joint 25 of theliiijll and socket type, and from the casting 24 there leads upwardly through the floor 16 a cylinder 26 having near its upper end a lateral elbow 27, leading to an opening 28 in the fire-box wall 17. The trough, the shell 22, the cylinder'23, the hollow casting 24, the cylinder 26, the elbow 27, and the openin 28 constitute a continuous conduit throug which the fuel, received through the opening in the tender floor, is delivered to the fire-box.

Located upon the axis the shell 22, and the cylinder 23, is a shaft 29, upon which is mounted a screw conveyer 30 within the trough, a ribbed crusher cone 31 within'the shell, and a screw conveyer 32 within the cylinder. Upon the axis of the cylinder 26 there is located a.

hollow shaft 33, carrying an elevating screw' 34. Within the forward end of the trough '20 there may be fixed a splittingfblade 35,

of" the trough 20, I

against the edge of which large lumps of fuel will be forced by the action of. the

box. When the fuel-crushir'fg'thechanism is I not employed the cone 31 may be omitted,

the screws 30 and 32 being continuous The this purpose a nipple 36, to which steam or' compressed air may be led by any suitable connection.

The shafts 29 and 33 are driven by any suitable motor. For this purpose there is shown a reciprocating engine 37, of the construction described in a pending application (Serial No. 48,619, filed September 2, 1915),

on another form of stoker, and which is,

therefore, not here shown in detail.

The motor 37 is shown as suitably mounted on a frame 15 of the locomotive, below the floor 16, its axis being approximately ver tical. A rack bar 38 is attached to the end of the motor piston rod 39, and reciprocates wlthln a casing 40, engaging and driving a gear wheel 41, keyed upon a tubular shaft 42 in driving connection with a shaft 43, upon which the shaft 42 is sleeved, through aratchet and pawl (Figs. 2, 3 and 6). The ratchet wheel 44 is keyed upon the shaft 43, and with it coiiperates a pair of pawls 45 and 46, carried by a casing 47 fixed upon the shaft 42. The pawls are connected by means of a retractile spring 48, which urges both toward the ratchet. An oscillatable cam lifter plate 49 is located between the two pawls, and may be shifted to disengage either or both from the ratchet. The plate 49 is carried by a circular plate 50, oscil-.-

latably mounted in one end, 51, of the easmg 47. A lever 52 is fulcrumed at 53 on the end plate 51, near its outer edge, and

has a finger 54 entering an aperture in the plate 50. The inner end of the lever 52 has a laterally projecting finger 55, which rides upon a cone 56, .slidably mounted on the outer end of the shaft 43.

The cone is controlled by means of a lever 57, having attached thereto a pull rod 58, within convenient reach of the operator, which has notches, as 59, for engaging a bracket 60. When the plate 49 and the cone 56 are in the positions shown, the pawl 46 is in service and the elevating screws are driven in the feeding direction. By shifting the cone 56 to the left, the lever-52 is swung on its pivot by a spring 52 to turn the plate 50, thereby raising the pawl 46 and permitting the pawl 45 to approach, and, if desired, engage the ratchet 44 in or' der to first entirely disconnect the motor from the conveying mechanism and then reverse the direction of the shaft 43.

The shaft 43 carries a double bevel gear 61 (Fig.2), one face of which meshes with a bevel gear 62, keyed upon a shaft 63 which extends to and beyond the rear end of the trough 20. The shaft 63 is provided with a universal joint 64, and is telescopic, as indicated at 65, forthe purpose of compensating for the relative movements of the 10- comotive and tender. Upon the rear end of the. shaft 63 there is mounted a pinion 66, which meshes with a gear wheel 67, fixed upon the shaft 29.

The opposite face of the bevel gear 61 meshes with a bevel gear 68, mounted upon a short shaft 69, which also carries a spur gear 70, meshing with a similar gear 71, fixed upon the lower end of a shaft 72, which extends through the shaft 33.' Upon the upper end of the shaft 72, and above the cylinder 26, there is mounted a casing 73, carrying a pawl 74 which coiiperates with a ratchet wheel 75, keyed upon the shaft 33, whereby the latter shaft with its screw 34 is driven in the elevating direction. Upon the reversal of the drive of the shaft 43, as hereinafter described, the pawl 74 slides over the teeth of the ratchet 75, leaving the screw 34 at rest. Should it be desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the screw 34, a pin 76 may be inserted through an aperture 77 in the casing 7 3, and into an aperture .78 in the ratchet wheel 75, thereby locking the casing and the wheel together.

A suitable governor may be used for regulating the speed of the motor, and may be conveniently applied to the upper end of the shaft 72. As shown, this governor comprises a pair of weighted arms 79 and 80, pivotally attached to the shaft, and having shoulders 81 and 82 which bear'again st an annularly channeled disk 83, slidingly mounted upon the shaft 72, and advanced toward the shoulders-of the weighted levers by a spring 84, reacting against a nut 85, in threaded engagement with the end of the shaft 72. A lever 86, shown as fulcrumed upon a casing 87 inclosing the governing mechanism and supported by means of a bracket 88, is attached to the stem 89 of a regulating valve 90, for controlling the steam passage leading to the motor cylinder 37. By the action of the spring 84, the valve 90 is normally held open. As the weights 79 and 80 move out in response to centrifugal force, the disk 83 is raised and .25 4 ferrlng screws and crusher cone may be rementwith a chair 92, inorder to compensate for the relative movement of the locomotive and tender. Upon the trough 20 there is mounted an apertured plate 93,-which is urged upwardly against the floor 19 of the tender by means of springs 94 and 95, thereby preventing the escape of fuel over the ed 'es of the trough, the plate 93 bei'n provi ed with-'a depending flange 96 h within the trough.

By the construction described, .a' continuoustpassage or conduit is provided for'the fuel leading from the trough 20 to the firebox, and unobstructed by any driving or other mechanism. The forward end of the shaft of the transferring screws and 32 may, as shown, float within this conduit.

The screw 32 delivers directly to the screw 34. The elevating screw 34 is driven at a higher speed than the transferring or horizontal screw, for the reason that any elevattting ing screw delivers more slowl "than a'screw having no lifting work to erorm.

Should the feed be c ogged, as by the presence of extraneous matter, the transversed by the means. described, the elevating.

screw, however, remaining at rest, and thus ment of the invention is herein shown and holding "the fuel which may be within the cylinder 26. Should the, clogging occur within the elevating cylinder, the screw 34" may be reversed by introducing the pin 7 6,, -'itbeing desirable, however, to first with- -draw the fuel within the horizontal portion of the conduit. v

No claim is here made for crushing mechanism shown and described. For the purposes of this application this mechanism vating conveyer connected thereto at its upper end. w z

3; In combination, a locomotive havi a fire-box, a tender, a tubular conduit for transferring fuel from the tender to the.locomotive, a screw conveyer in the conduit, a conduit leading upward from the trans-' ferring conduit to the fire-box, a screw conveyer therein, operating mechanism connected -to such screws at their relatively remote ends.

4L In combination, a locomotive having a firebox, a tender having a fuel bin, a con,- duit leading from the tender below the fuel bin to the locomotive and upwardly through the floor thereof and enterlng the fire-box,

screw conveying means within both sections of the conduit, and driving means connected with such conveying means at their relatively remote ends.

5. In combination, a locomotive having a fire-box, a tender having a fuel bin, a conduit comprising two directly connected sections one leadingfrom the fuel bin and the other delivering to the fire-box, a screw con veyer in each section, means for driving both screws, means for reversing the screw r in the conduit section leading fromthe ten- 7 der independently .of the other screw, and Y may be regarded as a part of the horizontal L conveyer.

While a desirable and .efiicient embodidescribed, various changes of detail may be made without departing from its scope.

1. ln 'comblnatlon, a locomotive havlng a I claim as my inventionfirebox, atender having a fuel loin, a continuous conduit leading forward horizontally below thebin and upwardly and delivering into the fire box through the rear wall thereof, transferring screws in each of the named sections of the conduit the shaft bearings of the screws being-outside of the conduit passage, andmeans for driving-the screws and being connected therewith exteriorly of the conduit.

2. In combination, a locomotive having a fire-box, a tender, a conduit for transferring fuel from thetender to the locomotive, a conveyer in said conduit, a conduit leading from the transferring conduit upwardly'to the fire-box, a conveyer for elevatingfuel therein, operating mechanism for the transfer conveyer connected thereto at its tender end, and operating mechanism for the'elemeans for reversing the other screw.

7. In combination, a locomotive having a fire-box, a tender having a fuel bin, a conduit comprising two directly connected sections one leading from the fuel bin and the other delivering to the fire-box, a screw conveyer in each section, a A motor, reversible 'duit comprising two directly connected secdriving mechanism connecting the motor to a the screws and being normally connected with one of said screws only when reversed.

I 8. In combination, a locomotive having a. p

fire-hon, a tender having a fuel bin, a con; duit comprising two directlyconnected'sec tions one leading from the fuel-bin and the other delivering tothe fire-born. a" screw conveyer in each section, a motor,-r e'versible driving mechanismponne'cting the motor to the screws and being normally connected with one of said screws only when reversed, and means for connecting the other ofsaid screws to such mechanismwhen reversed.

9. In locomotive stoking mechanism, in combination' a tender hav ng an apertured: floor, a transferring conduit movably mounted below thejfioor and receiving throughthe aperture therein, and a spring-supported apertured plate carried by the conduit and having bearing contact with the floor and surrounding the aperture thereof, such plate being provided with a depending flange extending into the conduit.

10. In combination, a locomotive firebox, a fuel bin, a conveyer for transferring fuel from the bin to the locomotive, a conveyer receiving from said transfer conveyer and elevating the fuel to'the fire-box, and means for reversing the direction of rotation of one of said conveyers independently of the other.

11. In combination, a locomotive fire-box, a fuel bin, a conveyer for transferring fuel from the bin to the locomotive, a conveyor receiving from said transfer oonveyer and elevating the fuel to the fire-box, power mechanism, and ratchet mechanism for driving both of said conveyers in one direction and for normally driving the transferring conveyer only in the reverse direction.

12. In combination, a locomotive having a fire-box, a tender having a fuel bin, a transferring screw below the fuel bin and leading to the locomotive, an elevating screw on the locomotive, means for driving the transferring screw in either direction and for normally driving the elevating screw in one direction only.

NATHAN M. LOWER. 

